No DUI charge for Rep. Watson

February 9, 2012

State Rep. Robert A. Watson (R-Dist 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich), still facing a charge of possession of marijuana in connection with his Jan. 21 arrest in South Kingstown, was spared additional legal jeopardy this week when the town's Police Department announced it would not charge him with driving under the influence.

Despite holding an open beer can inside the wheel when police arrived, according to the responding officers' report, Watson, the former House minority leader, will not be charged further. He was not given field sobriety or Breathalyzer tests after his car nearly struck a snowplow driver in the parking lot of Washington County Veterans Hospital, 4263 Tower Hill Road, shortly before midnight on Jan. 21.

Watson, who was not present at his arraignment hearing last Thursday in Fourth District Court, remains out of state receiving substance abuse treatment, said his lawyer, Timothy Williamson, on Monday.

For more on the story, read all about it in the Feb. 9 edition of The East Greenwich Pendulum.